Improvement in corn-planters



J. D. JEFF-ERS, J. SPARKS 6r. J. H. JEFFERS.

Corn-Planter.

No. 15426;' f l Patented July 29, 1856'.

NPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES JAS. D. JEFFERS, JOS. SPARKS, AND JNO. H. JEFFERS, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PE NNSYLVA NIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,426, dated July 29, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES D. JEEFERs, Josnr'n SPARKS, and JOHN H. JEFEERs, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State ot' Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Dropping-Box of Corn-Planting Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a top view; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 4 a sectional representation of the relative positions of the vents and grains of corn as one of the latter is being separated for dropping. y

Like letters in the different igures indicate the same objects.

The nature of our invention consists in a peculiar construction and arrangement of moving inclined planes, springs, vents, and slides, together with stationary inclined planes and narrow grain-adj usting recesses, within a box, and whereby a single grain of corn can always with entire certainty be dropped from each ot' the vents, and also any required number ot' grains can with equal certainty be dropped from the series ot' vents, so as to be deposited thereby upon the ground beneath at any required distance apart or relative positions in each group.

Referring to the drawings, A is the box; B B, the slides; G C, the springs; D D, the inclined planes; E E, the grain-adjusting recesses; F F, the 'sliding vents; G G, the intermediate stationary vents; H H, the protective tubes for preventing the wind from blowing the falling grains of corn out of their proper direction; and I, the connecting-rod, which conveys motion to the slides from a crank or cam fixed on the shaft of the main carryingwheel in the usual manner.

The slides are arranged so as to produce two connecting grain-adj ustin g recesses, E E, with two vent-holes, G F and G F, on each side ot' the stationary inclined planes D D, the upper slide on each side of the said planes being divided across into three separate parts, 1 2 3, so as to produce four long narrow spaces, E E

E E, between the vertical sides of the stationl ary block upon which the inclined planes D D areformed and the vertical sides of the box, which are parallel thereto, which spaces are a little wider than the thickness of acommon grain of corn. Each end of the middle part, 2, l

and the inner ends ofthe two other parts, 1 and 3, of the divided slides are brought to an edge by cutting away the wood,principally from the Lipper sides, and somewhat also from the lower sides thereof', as shown in the drawings, so as to produce the inclined planes Z Z, which are in proximity with the steel springs C C, that are fixed to the under sides ot' thel said parts l 2 3, and so as to fit with their under sides closely down, yet so as to slide upon the stationary piece containing the Vents G G, and also so as to admit of their projecting ends being raised slightly it' au obstructing grain ot corn should so require to be removed thereby. The upper surfaces of the stationaryl ventpieces are slightly beveled oft" on each side of vtheir vent-holes G, as shown at K, so as to prevent the edged ends ofthe springs C from striking directly against the sides ofthe ventholes during the motions of the slides. The vent-holes F in the lower slides are each made so as to range directly beneath the ends of the springs C, so that (both these slides being fixed to the same slide-piece) when the springs are closing the stationary vents G G by sliding over them the vents F F in the lower slides are at the same time brought under the same, thus producing an open passage therethrough to the tubes H H beneath, as shown in Fig. 1, and when moved back, so as to uncover the mouths of the said vents G, the lower slide closes the bottoms of the same, as shown in Fig. 4. It is intended generally to place two of these boxes upon one carriage, so as to drop simultaneously for two rows, and to arrange the size of each box so as to bringits four stationary vents and tubes about four inches apart, (in a square,) that the corn may be dropped accordingly.

Operation: The vent-holes G G being uncovered, as shown in Fig. 4, andshelled corn thrown into the box A, the vents G G each receive one grain, and the adjusting-recesses E E becomelled with grains, each grain being turned or adjusted thereby upon its edge, as shown also in Figs. 1 and 3; and as the said recesses E E are not adj usted wide enough for the admission of any two grains with their sides in contact the said grains necessarily become ranged in single rows within the recesses, and the stationary inclined planes D D direct the superineuinbent grains thereon toward the recesses, so as to aid in causing the said grains to turn upon their edges in subsequently entering the recesses, as shown in Fig. 3. The slides B B being now moved in the direction ofthe arrows thereon, the wedge-shaped ends of each of the springs C O, with the inclined planes Z, to which they are connected, slide under the grains, which rest upon the ones 4 in the vents below, as shown in Figs. l and 4,

and thus separate the latter from the others. i

while at the same time the sliding vents F F are brought beneath their respective stationary vents, G G, which contain the isolated grains 4, and thus open passages for each to its respective tube below, and the whole four ofthe vents thus operating together simultaneously, each dropping four grains of corn upon the ground, and each grain of the respective groups being dropped always in the same relative positions and at the same distances apart-say in a square of four inches, the distance between each group of grains deposited being of course` governed by the circumference of the carrying-wheel, (through the medium ot' the connecting-rod 1,) which operates the slides once back and forth at each rotation of the wheel, and at each movement depositing the grains, as described, with scarcely the possibility of either a variation in the number or the relative positions of the respective grains in each group-results which are of the greatest importance in growing of corn, and which, we believe, have never before beenv effected by any of the corn-planting machines hitherto produced. The size of the vents G Gr is capable of adjustment to the size of the grains by means of the slots and screws shown by the dotted lines at 5 and 6.

We do not claim the tubes H H; nor do we claim operating inclined planes and vents together in a corn-dropping boX, irrespectively ot' thepeculiar construction and arrangementv VE E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and described.

JAS. D. J'EFFERS. JOSEPH SPARKS. JOHN H. JEFFERS.

Witnesses:

BEN. MoRIsoN, J No. B. KENNEY. 

